Megan and I have been moving since Wednesday evening of last week. Her from Uptown and me from Maplewood. It wasn’t the most difficult move I’ve ever had to make since both of us tossed our existing furniture (read: beds) and purchased new stuff that was delivered by Slumberland. That was probably the best decision that either of us could have made.
My brother and her brother-in-law both were very helpful in getting the majority of our stuff over. Yet we still can’t figure out what happened to the box that contained some plates and the wine glasses (we’ve searched).
As far as the cat’s go, we’ve been pretty lucky. Megan has two cats (Bandit and Magoo) who are both around 7 or 8 years old, still have their claws, and are rather big male cats. My cat, Ana, is 4, doesn’t have her claws, and probably weighs 5 lbs less. We were hoping that Ana would end up being the alpha cat because of her physical disadvantages to the other two. We were correct, but a little bit TOO correct.
The day we moved in was rough on her cats. She had them both in a carrier for the short 5 mile drive from Uptown to Saint Louis Park, but one of her cats got so nervous that he ended up pooping in his.  Ana was pretty vocal during the trip, but as is usual for her and car trips she managed to stay relatively calm.
After about 30 minutes locked away in separate bathrooms we decided to let them out and supervise the meeting. Ana was instantly the aggressor and because Megan’s cats aren’t the bravest they were instantly scared of her and pretty much allowed her to trap them in the bathroom or second bedroom. Ana’s display of aggression actually got so bad that she started snapping at Megan and I so I had to put her (by way of wrapping her in a blanket so she couldn’t bite me) in the second bathroom with her litter box and food for the whole night. After about 45 in the bathroom Ana was back to her sweet self, but I wasn’t willing to add the stress back to the situation until the next morning.
Day 2 was definitely much calmer. For most of the morning the cat’s somewhat hissed back and forth, but Bandit no longer wanted to be trapped in a room so he would gingerly slip by Ana’s door block and explore where ever else he wanted to. There were fights, but none of them involved either of the cat’s actually touching each other, they were pure displays of aggression with paws (not claws) out for hitting. By the end of the day the hissing had all but stopped and Bandit and Ana were able to walk by within a few feet of each other without going totally crazy. Ana still protected the bed territory.
Day 3 brought even more improvement. Magoo (the most scared) finally started coming out of his hiding spots and joined us in the living room for most of the day. We also combined their food trays (they eat the same food) and put their litter boxes in the same room. We haven’t noticed a single problem and have seen each of the cats eat, drink, and use the boxes. Ana wasn’t as protective of the bed, but didn’t stand for it too much when another cat would jump up.
Day 4 (Sunday). Yup, they’re friends. Bandit and Ana spent the day chasing each other around the apartment, playing with one of the many kitty balls that I have on the floor, and pretty much just being around each other. Magoo watched (as he normally does) the action from the comfort of a dining room chair perch. This was also the first time that all three of them enjoyed treats together in a nice little kitty circle on the kitchen floor.
Today: I woke up to Bandit and Ana waiting patiently by the patio door waiting to be let out so they could more closely watch the birds on the trees outside. Â Up to this day when the two of them would be on the porch together they were on opposite ends. Today was different with them both within a few inches of each other and I enjoyed the synchronized tennis-matchesqe head movement. Â I don’t forsee us having any problems since all three of the cats are back to their normal pre-move personalities.
The biggest reason (I think) that this cohabitation was successful is because the territory was completely neutral and the ability for Megan and I to segregate the cats when they got too aggressive.